I mean you knew this column was going to be written before you even logged on. The race to the waiver wire to run and claim Julius Thomas likely made Usain Bolt envious as fantasy football owners reacted with the double expression of "who is Julius Thomas?" which was quickly followed by "damn I got to get him stat." Thomas caught 4 passes in the first half of the Broncos' opener against the Baltimore Ravens for 97 yards and 2 touchdowns which got to the frenzy going in full force and it never let up as he finished with 5 catches overall for 100. As fantasy football players, we react to the numbers and ask questions later. Hence why Thomas overnight will be the most accesses played in the entire game Friday. So with that said who the hell is Julius Thomas and where did he come from? Allow me to answer those questions as always.
The first point that needs to be made is that Julius Thomas is no rookie. He was actually a fourth round pick by the team out of renowned power Portland State (enter sarcasm) back in 2011 and came into the 2013 season with one career catch. Of course Thomas was just the latest ATHLETE drafted for the position as a former basketball player which was his first love. Hence Thomas joins trailblazer Antonio Gates and than later Kellen Winslow and others whose freakish athleticism honed on the hardwood eventually transitioned into the tight end spot in football. At 6-6 and 250 pounds, Thomas runs like the wind for his size which makes him a nightmare to contain by smallish defensive backs and slower linebackers. His blocking leaves a lot to be desired but we don't have a category for that in our game. Overall Thomas needed a few seasons to understand the intricacies of pro football but clearly he has figured some things given what he did on Thursday night. The Broncos surely helped the cause by playing Thomas more than any other offensive player during the preseason, where he caught everything thrown his way and where he first began to generate buzz. Now the buzz has exploded into overdrive hysteria and with Peyton Manning throwing him the football, Thomas could very well have the type of bustout season Gates had over 10 years ago.
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